TEHRAN: A Tehran court has jailed for one year a British-Iranian woman who was arrested after trying to attend a volleyball match, in a judgment condemned on Sunday as “appalling”.

The case of Ghoncheh Ghavami, a 25-year-old law graduate from London, has drawn considerable attention because of her dual nationality and lengthy time in prison before trial. Britain said it was concerned after hearing reports of her jail sentence.

Ms Ghavami was detained on June 20 at Azadi Stadium where Iran’s national volleyball team was to play Italy, after female fans and even women journalists were told they would not be allowed to watch, leading to a brief demonstration.

No reason given for the conviction though the British-Iranian woman was accused of spreading propaganda against government

Women are also banned from football matches in Iran, with officials saying this is to protect them from lewd behaviour among male fans.

Ms Ghavami was originally released after a few hours but was re-arrested days later at a police station she had visited to reclaim items confiscated from her near the stadium.

Having been in custody since — at least 41 days of which was spent in solitary confinement, according to her family — she went on trial behind closed doors last month.

“According to the verdict she was sentenced to one year in jail,” her lawyer Alizadeh Tabatabaie was quoted in Iranian media as saying on Sunday.

No reason was given for the conviction though Ms Ghavami had been accused of spreading propaganda against the government.

Asked if the sentence could be reduced, Mr Tabatabaie, who has not been allowed to visit his client, said: “Considering that Ghoncheh Ghavami has no criminal record, the court can alleviate the verdict.”

Britain’s Foreign Office said it was concerned over the ruling and questioned the “grounds for this prosecution, due process during the trial and Ms Ghavami’s treatment while in custody”.

Amnesty International termed the jail sentence “appalling”.

“It’s an outrage that a young woman is being locked up simply for peacefully having her say about how women are discriminated against in Iran,” said Kate Allen, the rights group’s director for Britain.

“Ghoncheh is a prisoner of conscience and the Iranian authorities should quash the sentence and release her immediately and unconditionally.”

So far, Ms Ghavami has spent 126 days in the capital’s Evin prison. Last month she went on a hunger strike for a fortnight in protest against the conditions there.

A Facebook page where her friends and family have campaigned for her release features photographs of her against the slogan: “Jailed for wanting to watch a volleyball match.”

Officials, however, have said Ms Ghavami was detained for security reasons unrelated to the sporting event.

The most recent update on the Facebook account corroborated the one-year sentence and also criticised the lack of transparency shown by the judiciary.

“A fair and just legal process according to Iran’s legal framework is the basic right of every Iranian citizen. Why are these rights not upheld in Ghoncheh’s case?” it said.

Published in Dawn, November 3rd, 2014